Willie Banks and Wolfgang Knabe put on a show at San Seb
Now THIS was a clash of the TJ titans. Willie Banks, at the age of 49, today nearly matched his masters best (set in 2001) but lost by almost six inches to the current M45 triple jump record holder — Germany’s Wolfgang Knabe. At the San Sebastian world masters championships, Knabe, 46, leaped 14.78 (48-6) on his fifth try to beat former open world-record-holder Banks, who spanned 14.64 (48-0 1/2) on his second try.
Contrary to the results site, Knabe’s mark was not an M45 world record. In fact, Knabe jumped a record 15.13 (49-7 3/4) this past May (as I wrote at the time).
Willie, who lives north of San Diego, has the consolation of a setting a world single-age record and setting himself up nicely for a world M50 TJ record next season. He turns 50 in March.
The listed World Masters Athletics outdoor M50 world record is 14.07 (46-2) by Finland’s Stig Backlund in 1990.
To show how far Willie and Wolfgang went, consider that the M40 age group triple jump was won at 14.54 (47-8 1/2) and the M35 age group was won at 14.65 (48-0 3/4).
There’s life in those old legs yet.
